Karate Kid: Legends (2025) - 8/10

I’ve seen the original films. I’ve watched and loved Cobra Kai. The 2010 reboot passed me by, but the question is, is any of this important? Yes and no, but mostly yes. The title Legends, is directed at the two stars of this franchise. Daniel Larusso (Ralph Macchio) being the obvious one and Mr Han (Jackie Chan) the less so, if like me you haven’t seen that reboot. It’s Mr Han however who takes centre stage to start. He’s in China, training kids like Li (Ben Wang), but Li is relocating with his mother to New York. They’re after a new start, trying to move on from the loss of a son and brother. New York is good for this we’ve been told by countless films of the years. It’s a culture shock for Li, but he’s capable and confident. Which is a good summary for the tone of this. It’s slick, fast paced. More televisual than cinematic. He meets a befriends Mia (Sadie Stanley) who warns him off the local karate dojo that catches his eye. Bad people there is the message, but we know where this is headed. Li and Mia get on well, but when her ex, Connor (Aramis Knight), bad dude from the dojo starts harassing her and Li finds himself pulled back into the world of fighting. Obviously, it wouldn’t  live up to its name otherwise. It’s all very obvious, but much like Cobra Kai, but it’s bloody good fun to watch. The characters are simple and engaging… and the action is blistering. Li can fight and with needle drops like LCD Soundsystem backing him up, this has some teeth. It’s not complicated, but it’s not one simple track either. It’s got enough narrative twists to easily keep it entertaining over its lean runtime. Mia’s father, Victor (Joshua Jackson) is also a fighter, well ex-fighter. He enlists Li to train him for a fight with some much needed money attached. He’s in debt you see, to the bad guys at the dojo. It’s all connected, but never feels clunky. It leaves all the heavy lifting in the set up to Wang though. Chan and Macchio don’t really feature until the final act, but it’s a clever tactic as their introduction not only delivers the history of the franchise, but turbo charges it with some extra energy and with Chan in particular, some delightful comedy. If you loved Cobra Kai, you’ll love this, it’s brilliant… and be sure to keep a look out for a familiar face.

8/10